May 16, 2016

Colombian goverment and FARC reach deal to release child soldiers

The New York Times reports the Colombian government and the country’s largest rebel group announced on Sunday that they had reached an agreement to release child soldiers from rebel custody, an important step in peace negotiations, which are in their final stages. The deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as FARC, could involve hundreds of children who were recruited to fight in Colombia’s long civil war, though no census of child soldiers has ever been taken. “One of the biggest horrors of a conflict is when we drag our children and young people into combat,” said Humberto de la Calle, a chief government negotiator.